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Catalan identity is a collective sentiment, a vision of the
communal world, a language, a culture, a lifestyle and similar
behaviours throughout the population. This identity, the fruit
of man’s history in this geographic place, situates itself upon
the cultural, social and religious origins of the inhabitants.
In this sense the Catalan identity is imparted. It is shared
by people who recognise themselves in it, by choice or by ancestral
heritage. This identity survives through its perpetual evolution
at the will of eras and political regimes from the time it appeared
in around 1000 AD to our time. In this way Catalan of the year
1900 is not the same as that of 2000. Today North Catalans,
informed of the existence of other Catalan regions and seduced
by the prestige of Barcelona, see their feelings of identity
as noble. This connection with more than 10 million inhabitants
of Catalonia means that North Catalans no longer feel the isolation
and stigma of being confined to a small area at the bottom of
France.
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Becoming
less local the Catalan identity benefits from the opening-up
of Europe, it can now rediscover itself and find new forms of
expression. However, the question of identity no longer has
a simple answer. The sentiment of Catalan membership, the sense
of belonging to Catalonia is synonymous with the opening up
of the frontiers which presents more questions of identity.
Catalan? French? European? Some of North Catalonia’s citizens
place their identity in the order they prefer. The sense of
belonging is current in North Catalonia and guarantees liberty
for all. However, ‘Catalanity’, in its various forms, remains
tied to the historical and sociological continuity in the North
Catalonian society. The new arrivals to the area can easily
perceive the importance of the unifying role of ‘Catalanity.’
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